Sailing on sunshine: how to get the most out of your solar panels; Latest advice on installing lithium batteries that every boat owner should read;…
Practical Boat Owner
December 2025 issue – out on 23 October
From steering to rigging (and all the things we forget!) – the essential checks for the prepared skipper; Displacement theory and how it affects the…
Barry Perrins: ‘I bought the boat and lived the dream’
After nine years of circumnavigating the globe, 'old Seadog' Barry Perrins talks to Laura Hodgetts about seamanship, the realities of sailing offshore and his onboard essentials
Banish damp from your boat this winter
Ashore or afloat, winter cold and damp can have a detrimental effect. Jake Kavanagh looks at the options for keeping condensation and moisture at bay
Vane gear self-steering: you guide to an offshore sailor’s best friend
Andrew Simpson looks at pendulum servo self-steering gears, and describes how to get the best out of them
‘My boat was a write-off’: Lessons learned from an on-the-water boat collision
Leo Heaney’s regular yacht club race night quickly turns dangerous after an unexpected boat collision. After seven months of repairs and frustration, here are the lessons learned.
Rigging tension on a fractional-rigged trailer-sailer
What considerations should you be aware of for setting the rigging tension on a mast that is frequently lowered and raised? OneSails's Wilf Chaplin has this advice
10 ways to save fuel when motoring: Essential tips for engine care, hull trim and propeller pitch
As costs rise, Jake Kavanagh looks at the simple ways boaters can use less fuel and energy when motoring
Your Holy Island cruising guide: coastal hopping in a trailer-sailer
Frank Sibly enjoys trailer-sailer coastal hopping from Northumberland’s Seahouses to Scotland’s Dunbar Harbour
Sailing and boating participation in the UK are in decline
"Sailing and boating in the UK are at a crossroads,” says Nick Scott, director of sport for the Royal Yachting Association. "Participation is standing still, or starting to fall.”
Understanding boat displacement & why it matters
How well do you feel like you understand boat displacement? For most sailors, it’s an overlooked topic. When I returned to marine journalism after a spell working on other magazines,…
Classic boat restoration: uncertain future for the Garlandstone, the last West Country trading ketch
The Garlandstone is one of the last wooden trading vessels of its type. HE Ross questions why she sits derelict while sister ships thrive as charter vessels, and the future…
Tools for tight spaces on a boat
Ben Meakins contorts himself terribly in a bid to demonstrate which tools work best when working on your boat in confined conditions
Boaters beware: RYA SafeTrx vessel tracking safety app will soon close
RYA SafeTrx app - the vessel tracking, safety and communications platform - is to be discontinued at the end of this month, from 31 December.
Protect your outboard engine from theft with the innovative Monimoto 9 GPS tracker
The thieves came in the middle of the night. They breached a razor-wired fence, cut off the electricity, disabled the CCTV, and got away with 10 outboard engines, leaving the…
From damp cushions to cosy home: The simple insulation job that changed life on our boat
Mark and Nicky Green decided to insulate their Cobra 850 themselves, and found it was the key to their long-term dream of living aboard
Skipper dies after being wound round his boat’s faulty electric winch
The skipper of the Mollie died after becoming entangled around the electric winch drum, an MAIB investigation has concluded
‘We were sinking, mastless, and adrift’: The crucial lessons learned from my shakedown sail
Paul Hayes is shaken by a shakedown sail in the Bristol Channel when his junk-rigged Coromandel springs a leak, loses its mast and suffers a snarled prop
The simple mooring mistake that can chafe through your rope in 20 minutes
By following a few simple mooring guidelines, you can avoid the common pitfalls and make the process of securing your boat easier and more effective. Michael Collings shows you how
Can you make zinc anodes from car wheel weights?
Can zinc anodes be made using old melted down car tyre balance weights? Vyv Cox has the answer
YJA Young Journalist of the Year 2025 named
The Yachting Journalists' Association (YJA) has announced the winner of the 2025 Young Journalist of the Year Award and has unveiled its new mentoring scheme
Insects to rats: Practical tips and ingenious tricks to bug-proof your boat
Infestations of insects and other unwanted visitors like rats are an ever present risk, especially in warmer climates. Rupert Holmes shares how to keep them at bay